Platon brings his photos to life as he shares with audiences the inspiring stories behind the photos and connects on a human level to the human condition and humanity of his subjects.

Having one’s portrait taken is an intimate experience. As Shakespeare put it, “the eyes are the window to the soul.” For Platon, it is an intimate collaboration and a visual interview—both in front of and behind the camera. Having photographed world leaders, celebrities, our men and women in the military, civil rights leaders and human rights champions, Platon seeks to answer the question, “Who is this person?” A gifted communicator and storyteller, he now shares with audiences some of the most poignant and mesmerizing stories behind the photos that will take your audience on a roller coaster of emotions—from laughter to tears. His photographic portraits have graced the world’s most influential magazines including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ and The Sunday Times. Platon developed a special relationship with TIME magazine, producing over 25 cover photos. In 2007, he photographed then-Russian Premier Vladimir Putin for TIME’s Person of the Year cover—winning him 1st prize at the World Press Photo Contest. In 2008, he became the staff photographer for The New Yorker, where he has produced a series of large-scale photo essays which include President Obama’s inauguration, the U.S. military, portraits of world leaders, the civil rights movement and the emergence of civil society in Russia which earned him a Peabody Award. He has published two monographs including Power (2011), an unprecedented anthology of 120 intimate portraits of world leaders including Barack Obama, Muammar Gaddafi, Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi. In this one-of-a-kind collection, Platon turned his lens on over 100 international leaders from across the political spectrum to create a profound portrait of global power. Shot over a three-year period at the United Nations, and captured with unique candor and insight, these photographs offer an intimate glimpse of the personalities behind the public faces of the world’s most powerful decision-makers. In 2009, Platon teamed up with the Human Rights Watch to help them celebrate those who fight for equality and justice in countries suppressed by political forces. His projects highlight human rights defenders from Burma as well as the leaders of the Egyptian revolution. His passionate and spellbinding stories will have audiences holding their breath. He recounts photographing Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, just days after her release from house arrest, for the cover of TIME—the photo shoot ended with a 9-hour car chase as he was fleeing the country to bring the film back to the U.S. In the summer of 2014, he photographed Edward Snowden in Moscow for his exclusive interview with Wired magazine – a project which took almost a year to put together with the utmost secrecy and resulted in the cover photo of Snowden holding the American flag. His presentation promises to leave your audience wanting more from this master of his craft.

Speeches

Photographing Putin

About Platon

The Invisible Conflict | Platon Antoniou

Powerful Portraits: An Intimate Look at Humanity and Leadership

A gifted communicator and storyteller, portrait photographer Platon shares his experience photographing an eclectic mix of world leaders, celebrities, our men and women in the military, members of the civil rights movement and human rights champions. He takes his audience on a roller coaster of emotions—from laughter to tears—with the most poignant and mesmerizing stories behind the photos. He answers the question, “Who is this person?” His presentation includes highlights from his book, Power, chronicling over 100 Heads of State including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Hugo Chavez, Robert Mugabe and Silvio Berlusconi. He also shares the stories from his photo essays on the U.S. military, civil rights movement, his work with Human Rights Watch which includes the leaders of the Egyptian revolution, his photo for TIME of Aung San Suu Kyi and, most recently, photographing Edward Snowden in Moscow for his exclusive interview with Wired magazine. His presentation promises to leave your audience wanting more from this master of his craft.

The Power Workshop

In addition to his lecture, “Powerful Portraits: An Intimate Look at Humanity,” Platon has developed a follow-up workshop for those interested in delving deeper into the “people skills” of interacting with prominent figures. Platon’s unique experiences having intimate portrait sittings with world leaders and other high-profile subjects allows him to relay expert advice and counsel to clients looking to improve their skills with clients, colleagues or customers. Platon has over 20 years of experience working with high-profile people often in time-pressured situations and, as a result, has developed a unique way of breaking down social barriers in a very short space of time. By using some of these iconic photographs and communicating the circumstances with which the photographs were taken, Platon is able to teach his audience to spot the opportunities to create a connection between the parties involved. Selecting a few members from the audience, Platon uses a hands-on approach to demonstrate different issues like situational awareness, reading and diffusing personal insecurities and developing confidence. Some of the specific topics of discussion include the importance and the message in a handshake, eye contact and body language, as explained through the meetings and experiences with various cultural icons. Using an anecdotal and interactive approach, Platon offers this workshop as a learning tool for those who are interested in strengthening their ability to create trusting, respectful and productive business and personal relationships.
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I was blown away by Platon - I and everyone else laughed, cried and truly felt inspired. One of the best speeches I've ever seen (if not THE best).

Member of Large Financial Organization

Overall, I thought this conference was excellent. Platon was the best speaker I have ever heard and his presentation was life changing.

Member of Large Financial Organization

Platon is one of those wonderful and most rare speakers where the audience arrives intrigued—but not quite sure what to expect—and then leaves completely blown away. He is a masterful storyteller, with his photographs and with his accompanying presentation. Simply one of the best.

The Richmond Forum

Phenomenal, phenomenal, phenomenal. Absolutely amazing. He was a star and made our conference stellar. Thank you again!

Financial Services Firm

As you might imagine after 40 plus years in this industry, I have been to a lot of meetings and heard many speakers. My wife, Susan, is a retired exec. of AT&T and Convergis. She too has heard her share. Platon Antoniou brought tears to the eyes of both of us, and after his talk, we both felt the he was the best we have EVER heard."

Member of Large Financial Organization

Platon was one of the best perspective on life speakers I have ever heard. Looking at life through an artist's eyes was an amazing experience.

A member from MHEDA - Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association

Platon was amazing. Hands down the best speech I have ever heard. Moved me to tears!

Member of Large Financial Organization

Platon went over very well with our group—both during his presentation and later that evening at dinner. He was approached by many of our folks with questions or comments about his work. His presentation was insightful and thought-provoking, just what we were hoping for.

Leading International Reinsurance Company

Platon was excellent. It was obvious from the reaction of our participants that he had them thoroughly engaged with his photos and stories. The relevance of his presentation to the material we were presenting that day was also quite strong, and we found ourselves referring back to his stories quite often over the next two days to reinforce the central points of the training.

The Capital Group

Platon was spectacular! Yes, off the charts sensational! He was charming, funny, a wonderful story teller and the perfect ending to our meeting. It was really nice to feature something so visually exciting as well. Thanks for the good guidance that helped me select him.